Better than graphite? BLR’s secret sauce
Well it's been 5 years in the game. I'd say the last few years it's been more work than fun but I have dominated racing for the last 2 years which has kept me going. Over the years everyone wanted to know how I was so fast. Particularly with stock cars as there is only so much you could do to a stock car. It was a fun 2 years because I won a lot! What wasn't fun were the accusations of cheating, some thought I was secretly taking cars apart and polishing axels, some thought it was from sanding wheels and many rumors were spread about me from people I didn't even know. Racers just couldn't believe a stock car could be so fast without taking it apart.
Truth is I worked harder than everyone else, I thought outside of the box and spent a shit ton of money to find something better than graphite. My curiosity was sparked from hosting races when I noticed some of the top racers in the game at the time had very clean and slippery cars. The paint jobs were immaculate while my cars were gray and dirty from graphite. I knew a few people were using something else and I was on a mission to find out what it was.
I began experimenting with anything that was made to reduce friction. I started by using Krytox Oil from Maximum Velocity when I saw oil on my track after an event. I started brainstorming with other racers. This wasn't something by any means that I was the first to use and if you dug deep enough online, into the PWD files, it was easily found. It helped that I had a good friend in the PWD game who was more than generous with helpful information. Oil was effective for sure, I loved that I didn't have to deal with the mess of graphite. The only issue was all of the top racers at that time were using it and hosts were allowing it so I had no advantage. I needed something more. So I started experimenting with Ceramic Sprays. The first Ceramic spray I found that made a difference was Flitz Ceramic Spray made for car detailing. I used it on a car that I didn't care about as a test and I gained 3-4 thousandths of a second. This was 2023 and I had been racing for 3 years so to gain a few thousandths at that time was huge. I dominated DCR which was a popular venue at that time and people started to notice. I still never stopped looking to get better when I discovered Silicone Spray. It seemed to make cars even a little faster which I didn't think was possible. With Silicone though I figured out less is more and once it dried you could also use oil and the two together made super speed.
The technique
If you previously used graphite, wash it out with warm water and a drop of dawn soap. An Ultrasonic Cleaner would also be helpful but I don't think it's necessary. I've never used one and it's been fine.
Step two is lightly spray your wheels and inner hubs with Silicone. (It has to be low viscosity silicone spray and safe on plastic). You might even use a paint brush to apply it as not to use too much.
For the next step patience is key. Make sure to let the car sit 3-5 days minimum, run the car 10 times and then apply your Max V Oil. Derby Dad also makes a great oil. I can't decide which is better, I go back and forth, that is for you to decide. Again, less is more with the oil, I use a syringe to apply it. After that run the car as much as you can and don't reapply Silicone. You can reapply oil after 50-100 runs but don't do it too often. Honestly a little lasts forever. If you use too much and the car slows down rewash the car out. The way I figured out that the longer the car sat that the faster it got was when I took cars out of my case that were previously treated with this technique and they would be faster 6 months later than they were when they raced in the event.
Now understand this technique will make a slow car faster but it won't make a slow car a winner. The stock car or modified car still has to be elite to start with in order to make a champion and that comes with either building a great car or testing enough stock cars to find the best of the best. It's an expensive chase but I see a lot of money being spent out there so why not make your dollars count and do it right. Learning to correctly modify a car for speed is a whole other tutorial that maybe I'll share someday.
Go and be fast
Fast forward to 2025 and a large group of diecast racers have figured out what my technique was or found something similar and since so many people know now, I figured I'd help the new guys as my gift to those who have no idea how to compete with the best. I am likely not going to be in this hobby much longer so I figured I'd do a huge service to anyone who needed help and lay out for you what I've done since early 2023.
Now that you have this information understand that the next person to dominate this hobby will find the new lube and techniques that nobody else is using and it likely won't be something you can find online.
Love or hate BLR we were the best for a long time and what we accomplished in the last two years may never be duplicated. 36 wins in two years, KOTM winner and many fun times. We accomplished everything we set out to do and I just don't have the passion or fire to find the next best thing. Now it's your turn to shine. Good Luck out there
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Discussion
Dude, that's an amazing download. Wow, is all I have to say. Well, maybe not. I can say that you've confirmed most of what I've been thinking and trying. And I do know that a few will prosper with this info while most will not. The reason? The same thing you've been saying all along. It's not the magic bullet or secret sauce that make you a sucess. It's long long hours spent building and trying different things. Lord only knows, the hours I put in and the crazy things I've been trying. But I'm slowly improving and thats the juice that keeps me going. Winning is just icing on the cake. One of these days I'll get my icing lol. Thanks for sharing brother. And being an inspiration. I don't get mad that you win. I get inspired to keep pushing. Chris
- Thanks Chris. A lot of valuable energy has been wasted on anger rather than hard work. Put what I said to use but better yet find the next best thing. Good Luck — BlueLineRacing
- trust me.. I'm trying. And I will definitely try what you're saying. I got something a little different I've been working on. Maybe it could be someday? For me its the challenge more than the winning. Again, much appreciated and you're welcome to send cars to my track anytime for some grudge racing or to challenge the ranks. Hope you stick around a while longer. — Zamak_Speed_Shop
- Well said, cheers. — CutRock_R_Marc_D
Derbydad4hire Holy Water is definitely the way to go
Cheers BLR, Tim
You have certainly made a big contribution to the hobby over the years!
And a dedication to get to the top, spending countless hours , experimenting, testing, investing, hosting, and the results prove that, and unlikely to be replicated.
Great for you to share your current speed tech, a great aid for the general racers!! (I only wish some of that stuff was available downunder, but I plod away with my own testing with whats available!)
But builders beware, the information is no silver bullet unless one shows that same dedication, experimenting, testing etc regime that BLR has. And from my testing not every make n model n weight car reacts the same.
BLR, hope to see you out there for some time to come!
To all, good luck out there and enjoy!
Cheers
I thought most people knew about, except for the newest of the new, because of that one guy's videos (I don't know the name of the channel, but from his accent I think he's Boricua). I haven't tried it because most tournaments say no oils, and I'm not a cheater. I grew up being super athletic and was great at sports, everything from football to skating (aka skateboarding), so I'm not one who has to compensate for being picked last in gym class before I die. I'm not saying that's what you were doing, initially, Blue, because you were drag racing (where very little of the chance element exists) against others who were also on the juice... but, you also brought it over to the tracks that are fun to watch for people who aren't in the race. You also made some comments after winning that were totally classless, as if you had just won the Swiftie Bowl, and on occasion didn't even bother to thank the track host after making the comments. I guess the rules will probably be changed because honor system brings out the dishonest. Those who are getting frustrated (I haven't entered enough races to come anywhere close to it) have a more level playing field.
But, I commend you for coming clean (finally), because the other performance enhancement users didn't want the secret to get out. Others can hate me if they want, I don't care, I have never said anything bad to anyone and go out of my way to be encouraging .
- So everyone knew and was doing it? So everyone was cheating? Ok. I watched it be allowed everywhere and fortunately I hosted races and saw it for myself. In 2022 I built an all graphite car for KOTM and beat out 450 other cars in qualifying. You can’t take anything away from me or the work I’ve done. Instead of crying and whining use what I just told you (or didn't tell you, you already seemed to know) to your advantage and go win some races now that you're on a level playing field. — BlueLineRacing
- No, I figured most people knew about the oil but didn't use it. — LobotomyScam
Thank you for sharing! I did not know this was a thing.
I'm sorry people are dicks and accused you of cheating.
Its always a pleasure to see your builds on the track and I look forward to racing with you in the future. Need some payback for the Dunes race and that sub16 sec run.
I started running oil on my cars when I noticed it lasted longer and seemed to run better.I had some lubricant laying around from when I was working on model trains, so I figured, whatthehell, and decided to try it. The car ran much smoother, and seemed to last a LOT longer. As BlueLine said, anything in the quest for speed, and straight graphite, while decent, just wasn't cutting it.
I'm still on that journey for wringing out speed from my cars, even the ancient ones.I finally have room to build a drag strip, and I plan on getting a digital timer to see how much things improve. (Just so you guys know, I previously have not had any room for a test track--my "test area" was a 18" spot in front of my keyboard on my desk, as it was literally the only place I had that was straight and level. Obviously, there's only so much that you can do with such limitations.....) I'm still going through the archives, still looking at what works, still digging .... still chasing that extra thousandth of a second.
Thank you for your contributions to the sport. Even if I wasn't on the track all the time, I've enjoyed watching your cars run, and one day, I hope to be somewhere around the level that you've atttained.
P.S. In case anyone is wondering, I've been trying the following lubricants:
Wet oils:
-Blaster Teflon Dry Lube
-Slick Liquid (100% synthetic liquid oil for model railroaders. Not sure if this stuff is still available anymore, as I bought a bunch of it years ago)
-WD-40
-Singer sewing machine oil
-3-in-1 oil.
Dry graphites:
-Maximum Velocity
-Pinewood Pro Pro Graphite.
-XLR8 Ultra Graphite
- I remember hosting you here and you getting a win. I was very happy for you. Thanks Bill — BlueLineRacing
- @BLR: Thank you, that means a lot. As I said, with the limitations I had at the time, there was only so much I could do to beef up the cars and get them ready to roll. Axle polishing, wheel polishing, trimming anything that might drag ..... it's super hard when you don't have a track to run on. I've stumbled across a few things here and there that would help with what I'm doing, but the main stumbling block was I didn't have a dedicated test track to run on. Now I have the room, so that's coming. I plan on staying int he hobby for a long time, because it brings me joy running against people here that I can call my racing friends. — SpyDude
Awesome post. BLR rules. I've been using silicone and krytox for a while. BLR is correct; too much silicone is deadly. And, I've found, that you must make sure to shake the can of silicone very very very well otherwise the silicone can become sticky. I also agree, and I have found that the longer the silicone dries the better; which is frustrating because I'm always late. lol. Thank you BlueLine Racing for keeping the fire in this hobby so well stoked and for making this hobby so much fun to be a part of.
- I always respected that you didn’t feel the need to join the mob and always showed support. You’re a better winner and a better loser than most people in this hobby and you never made excuses. It’s great to see you on top. Like I said I know most know this and are doing this but I figured I’d help those who aren’t in the know. Good Luck Numbskull. — BlueLineRacing
A quote from derbytalk.com:
"Oil (Kryox) by itself is roughly as fast as a good graphite lubrication. If you want to really unlock the speeds of oil, you have to follow the process, which involves coating the wheel bores with a synthetic wax (like Liquid Glass or Rejex) and coating the axles with a dry-lube spray (like Jig-a-Loo or Chain Saver). When this is done, it sandwiches the oil between these two slick layers and produces (I am told) a hydrodynamic bearing which is incredibly fast."
BlueLine is correct again in that you need to dig a bit deeper than accepted norms if you are hunting for speed.
derbytalk.com is another great place to help in your hunt for speed.
- People are inherently lazy, most want to be spoon fed information. They want to point fingers for their failures. They resent excellence. Where is the drag racing is boring crowd now that everyone is doing the same thing and they have a chance? It’s only boring when you suck. — BlueLineRacing
- funny... last year when I asked folks if they were aware or ascribe to the bubble theory of lubrication, I got derision and ridicule. — Stoopid_Fish_Racing
Once upon a time I worked aircraft and I agree, it's not always what you use but how you use it. I'm still doing weird things with graphite over here.
- 100% ! Over the years I have tried different products, failed, only to revisit later with different techniques to obtain better results. Always work to be done! — CutRock_R_Marc_D
- 100% ! Over the years I have tried different products, failed, only to revisit later with different techniques to obtain better results. Always work to be done! — CutRock_R_Marc_D
- Well put, thank you. — alva1370
Wow, thanks!